thinking. Jim had been introduced to Pat by an acquaintance in El Paso who had gone to school with him. He’d recommend Jim and said he could be trusted—exactly what that meant, Pat was still trying to figure out. The guy in El Paso was someone who knew Pat’s Juarez suppliers and they had given the man a good recommendation, which had given Pat the confidence to hire Jim in the first place.
Their first meetings covered what Pat did and how it could be viewed as both illegal and dangerous. Jim seemed to accept and understand that most of the business information would have to be kept quiet.
“I’m going to put all properties and operations under BDD. I want you to be an officer of the company and keep all of the records here in Las Cruces. Obviously, that gives you more responsibility, and considering what drives all of this, also creates more risk for you. With the risk will be more reward. Starting immediately you’ll be Vice President, and I’m increasing your pay thirty percent.” Pat watched Emerson closely, but saw very little reaction.
“What do you think, Jim, is this something that you want to do?”
“Absolutely, Mr. Allen. This has been a great opportunity for me and I won’t let you down.”
Well, at least he said the right things. Maybe this cold fish exterior was a good thing—nobody could tell if he was lying or not. Pat was still not a hundred percent sure, but he really didn’t have any options. He couldn’t run an ad in the paper:
right-hand man for bootlegger, must be detail oriented, keep his mouth shut, and be willing to lie if necessary—please send resume to Bootlegger Pat
. At this point Pat was comfortable moving forward with Emerson—if it didn’t work he would figure out something else.
“Okay, let’s get this working. I’m headed over to Bill Bates’ office to discuss some legal matters with him. I’m going to ask him to put together the paperwork for your promotion and then get it back to you for your signature. I think this is going to work for both of us. Just remember to keep me informed, and the most important thing is keep me informed when things go wrong—never hide the bad news—okay?”
Emerson agreed. Pat borrowed Emerson’s car and headed over to the attorney’s office. Pat had requested on his last trip that Bates put all of his holdings under the umbrella company Blue Devils Development, Inc. All the ownership certificates were in Pat’s name. The only officers were Pat and Emerson. And Pat had made an offer on a cabin in T or C owned by a local man whom Pat had met at a dinner party during his last trip to Las Cruces. Bud Johnson was the guy’s name and he was in the same business as Pat, sort of, but he was mostly selling booze illegally to the Indians. Pat thought he was a moron.
Pat wanted Bates to finalize the purchase and put the property in his wife’s maiden name: Elizabeth Ruth Hall. Pat was not real sure what he was going to do with it, although in the back of his mind he thought it might be a little hideaway he could use after he got out of the booze business. He was thinking maybe he could bring his wife and son and enjoy a real vacation without worrying about being killed or arrested.
This was happening more and more with Pat. He was managing his business activities and, at the same time, he was planning how he would get out. This trip with Sally had been a blast, but he couldn’t ignore his increased risk from the Texans, the rumors that the feds were looking to bust up the bootlegging business in Oklahoma, and of course his desire for a slower, more sane life. His fantasies about rowdy adventures were becoming fewer and were more commonly about tranquil family time. He was as surprised as anybody at this turn of events. But then he thought about Sally and decided maybe he would give up rowdy in a month or two—not right now.
After wrapping up his business with Bates, Pat drove back to the office and had Emerson take him to the
Their first meetings covered what Pat did and how it could be viewed as both illegal and dangerous. Jim seemed to accept and understand that most of the business information would have to be kept quiet.
“I’m going to put all properties and operations under BDD. I want you to be an officer of the company and keep all of the records here in Las Cruces. Obviously, that gives you more responsibility, and considering what drives all of this, also creates more risk for you. With the risk will be more reward. Starting immediately you’ll be Vice President, and I’m increasing your pay thirty percent.” Pat watched Emerson closely, but saw very little reaction.
“What do you think, Jim, is this something that you want to do?”
“Absolutely, Mr. Allen. This has been a great opportunity for me and I won’t let you down.”
Well, at least he said the right things. Maybe this cold fish exterior was a good thing—nobody could tell if he was lying or not. Pat was still not a hundred percent sure, but he really didn’t have any options. He couldn’t run an ad in the paper:
right-hand man for bootlegger, must be detail oriented, keep his mouth shut, and be willing to lie if necessary—please send resume to Bootlegger Pat
. At this point Pat was comfortable moving forward with Emerson—if it didn’t work he would figure out something else.
“Okay, let’s get this working. I’m headed over to Bill Bates’ office to discuss some legal matters with him. I’m going to ask him to put together the paperwork for your promotion and then get it back to you for your signature. I think this is going to work for both of us. Just remember to keep me informed, and the most important thing is keep me informed when things go wrong—never hide the bad news—okay?”
Emerson agreed. Pat borrowed Emerson’s car and headed over to the attorney’s office. Pat had requested on his last trip that Bates put all of his holdings under the umbrella company Blue Devils Development, Inc. All the ownership certificates were in Pat’s name. The only officers were Pat and Emerson. And Pat had made an offer on a cabin in T or C owned by a local man whom Pat had met at a dinner party during his last trip to Las Cruces. Bud Johnson was the guy’s name and he was in the same business as Pat, sort of, but he was mostly selling booze illegally to the Indians. Pat thought he was a moron.
Pat wanted Bates to finalize the purchase and put the property in his wife’s maiden name: Elizabeth Ruth Hall. Pat was not real sure what he was going to do with it, although in the back of his mind he thought it might be a little hideaway he could use after he got out of the booze business. He was thinking maybe he could bring his wife and son and enjoy a real vacation without worrying about being killed or arrested.
This was happening more and more with Pat. He was managing his business activities and, at the same time, he was planning how he would get out. This trip with Sally had been a blast, but he couldn’t ignore his increased risk from the Texans, the rumors that the feds were looking to bust up the bootlegging business in Oklahoma, and of course his desire for a slower, more sane life. His fantasies about rowdy adventures were becoming fewer and were more commonly about tranquil family time. He was as surprised as anybody at this turn of events. But then he thought about Sally and decided maybe he would give up rowdy in a month or two—not right now.
After wrapping up his business with Bates, Pat drove back to the office and had Emerson take him to the
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